The Pretender's Protector
by rackfocus
Summary: Even geniuses need someone to protect them.


1Disclaimer: I claim nothing. I don't claim to own these characters, the ideas set forth by the original writers, or even my pants. My parents bought my pants so, technically, they own them. You can sue me, but all you'll get is my cat, Cartman, and he can kick your ass. So bring it on.

Authors Musings Starting the Fanfic:

I've always wanted to write a fanfic. I've been writing all my life, but I've never actually finished anything. I always start them and let them drift off. Then I start something else. Or learn how to juggle. It's always something with me. I'm a poor college student (evidently the government didn't think I was worthy of a Pell Grant) working through the summer, so God only knows when this one will be done. All I know is that I have to finish SOMETHING, and I've always wanted to do Jarod cough I mean do a STORY about Jarod. This little something has been floating around in my head for a long time, and I think it is the right time to put it down to paper. Or...computer screen. If you print it out it'll be on paper. But don't go through any trouble or anything...

Other, less legal disclaimer: I'm sorry if I do or say anything that isn't 100 accurate according to the show. I haven't seen it in a VERY long time. I recently bought the 1st season on DVD, but most of my plot is set later. Forgive me. I know not what I do. Especially in math. Man, I suck at math...

Other, other less legal disclaimer: Yeah, I changed stuff. A lot of stuff. I'm sorry. It's just the way my head works.

Oh and leave some reviews. This is a give and take relationship, buddy. I'm not just some slave that writes at your bidding. Give me some love.

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Chapter 1

Kate peeked through the bushes and watched Jarod's shadow disappear around the corner. She held her breath, counting in her head. NOW! She jumped out the bushes, directly into the path of Miss Parker and Sydney.

"Damnit! Watch where the hell you are going!" Parker screamed, shoving Kate to the side.

Sydney flashed Kate an apologetic smile and rushed to keep up with the running woman. Kate grinned as the two faded away. It wasn't much, but Kate bought Jarod a little time to escape. It was her duty to protect him, and this was the only way she knew how to.

She walked to the fire escape that Jarod had climbed a few moments earlier and searched for the dropped file. It was gone, as was Jarod's mother. Kate's heart sunk for him. She knew how it felt to be kept away from a parent, but she did it by choice. Jarod didn't. The Centre was all that came between Jarod and his past. Kate's hands clenched at her side as she thought of all that the Centre had done. The lives they had screwed with. Jarod's. Her's. Her father's. She gave a pensive glance over her shoulder in the direction that her Pretender had gone and closed her eyes.

"_What is it?"_

"_Peter Pan."_

_Jarod fingered the book thoughtfully. _

"_What's it about?"_

"_A boy. Who never grows up. I thought it was perfect for you. Your...anti...antithesisis."_

"_Antithesis."_

"_Yeah. Cause you had to grow up too soon." Kate grinned, showing a wide gap where her two front teeth should have been._

"_Hey. You lost them." Jarod pointed at her mouth and Kate nodded._

"_Yeah. Papa gave me a dollar for each one." She plopped down on Jarod's bed. "Read to me."_

_Jarod joined her on the bed, crossing his legs under him. He handed her the flashlight and she leaned into his shoulder._

"_All children, except one, grow up."_ _Jarod smiled and Kate buried her face deeper into his shoulder, happy that he liked the book. _

_She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of his voice. She had always begged her pappa to read her this book every night. She had loved when her pappa read to her. His accent was soothing and soft, but he had not had time to read to her in a long while. As a result, Kate found someone else._

"_They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in the garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand _

_to her heart and cried, 'Oh, why can't you remain like this forever!' This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end._

_Of course they lived at 14, and until Wendy came her mother was the chief one. She was a lovely–"_

"Lady? Hey! LADY!"

Kate opened her eyes in surprise and glared at the voice that ripped her from her pleasant thoughts. A bulky man, shorter than she was but far wider in the shoulders, stood in front of her.

"You wanna move? You're blocking the sidewalk."

She gave an apologetic smile and moved to the side.

"Freakin' weirdo.." The man muttered, shoving his cigar into his mouth and shuffling past Kate.

Glancing quickly around her, she made her way up the street and the twelve blocks to the motel.

She entered her room and tossed herself down onto her bed. The motel was horrible. It stunk and there was never any hot water, but it was the one Jarod had chosen. Therefore, it was the one she would stay in. She unwillingly closed her eyes and dozed. Light feet bouncing down the hallway shook her from her slumber, and Kate sat up. Jarod. She knew that walk. Soft and determined, and this time, a little bit rushed. They were close.

She rose from the bed and cracked open the door slightly. Directly across the hall was the back of Jarod's head, bobbing as he leaned down to peer at the lock. The lights in the hallway were burned out and navigating the key into the whole was proving to be fairly difficult. Finally the key slid into the hole with a metallic sound and Jarod pushed open the door. First, he would collect the things he needed to take with him, which wasn't much--his DSA player and some other miscellaneous items. Then he would expertly leave clues to his next pretend. The process only took around five minutes. Jarod must have felt rushed because he was out the door in four, and down the hall before Kate could process that he was leaving. She cursed at herself, grabbed her already packed suitcase and car keys, and raced down the hall. Jarod took the elevator. She took the stairs.

He was in his car by the time she got to the front door of the motel, and Kate cursed herself again. She flung herself down the stairs and sprinted to her car. Throwing her suitcase inside, she started the car and rushed to keep up with Jarod's car, a blue Cavalier. He used a different car each pretend, as did she. She drove in silence, staying far enough behind Jarod to avoid suspicion, but close enough to watch him. She was an unfamiliar face, so it didn't really matter if she was spotted. He was busy watching out for Parker and Sydney.

The silence was deafening, so she pulled a CD from the CD case on the passenger seat and popped it into the CD player. "Baba O'Riley" by The Who burst through the speakers and filled the car with electric keyboard rifts. She played air piano on the steering wheel and sang/hummed the song.

"Out here in the fields. I fight for my meals. I put my back into..." She slipped into humming as her keen brown eyes stayed with Jarod's car. Who knows where they would end up next. This was the beginning of yet another adventure.


End file.
